I’m overjoyed to tell you that WRATH has made it into the shortlist for the David Gemmell Awards, both for the Legend Award, which is for best fantasy novel of 2016, and also the Ravenheart Award, which is for best cover art.

I’m a long-time fan of David Gemmell, and it’s no secret that his writing has been an immense inspiration to me, so I’m absolutely blown away to see that WRATH is in the shortlist for the Legend Award. I feel honoured to have my name on a list associated with the great man. If you voted for WRATH in the previous round I’d like to say a heart-felt thank-you for your belief and support of my book.

It’s also wonderful to see that the cover art for WRATH has been shortlisted in the Ravenheart Award for best cover-art, as I’ve loved the artwork for the series, and it’s great to see the artist, Paul Young, receive some credit for his amazing work.

I must say a massive congratulations to the other shortlisted nominees, it’s a real honour for WRATH to be rubbing shoulders with such fantastic writers.

It’s a public vote, so if you think WRATH is deserving please do click on the link and cast your vote, whether for WRATH or any of the other fantastic nominees. Voting closes on 2nd June…

If you were wondering how Balur the giant came to be known as Balur One-Eye, you might be interested in reading a short story I’ve recently written.

You can find it in the anthology titled JOURNEYS, alongside a barrage of awesome tales from writers such as Juliet E. McKenna, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Gail Z. Martin, and many others. Here’s a link to it, and check out the lovely cover-art below.

Voting on the longlists for the David Gemmell Awards For Fantasy is open. There are three categories and I am so pleased to see that Wrath has been nominated for two of them: the Legend Award, which is for the best fantasy novel of 2016, and the Ravenheart for best cover art.
David Gemmell has been a great influence upon my own writing, so to see a book of mine on a list with David Gemmell’s name at the top makes me feel both privileged and also like a big kid again.
The Gemmell Awards are a readers vote (and that means you), which make it all the more special.
If you’ve read Wrath and you think it deserves a vote then that would be brilliant, and much appreciated. And if Wrath wasn’t your favourite book of 2016 please still head over and vote for one the other many awesome titles on the Longlist – the main thing is that you vote, as the Gemmell’s are run by a selfless team of volunteers and hugely deserving of support. The link is below. Only a couple of clicks…

WRATH is published today, 17th November, in the UK. It’s a special moment for me, with a surreal, dream-come-true quality about it.

I began the journey of writing the Faithful and the Fallen over fourteen years ago, and now the last book in the series is being published. It’s a wonderful feeling, though bittersweet as well, saying goodbye to a cast of characters that have been part of my life for so many years.

I’ll be signing copies of WRATH and anything else you put in front of my pen at Forbidden Planet’s London Megastore, at 4.00pm on Saturday 19th November. Afterwards all are invited to join me for a pint and informal chat at a pub nearby. It would be great to see you there.

To my immense shock and great pleasure RUIN has made it through to the shortlist for the David Gemmell Legend Award.

Voting in the final round has now re-opened and begins all over again.

I’d like to say a huge thank-you to everyone that voted for RUIN, I’ve always been a huge fan of David Gemmell, and he has played a big influence upon my own writing, so to see a book of mine on a list with his name at the top feels like a great honour.

The shortlist is now open for voting again – if you think RUIN or any other of the fine books on the list deserve your vote please do head on over to the website via the link below:

Ravenheart Award (best cover art)
Kerem Beyit for The Dread Wyrm by Miles Cameron (Gollancz)
Jason Chan for The Liar’s Key by Mark Lawrence (Harper/Voyager)
Larry Elmore & Carol Russo Design for Son of the Black Sword by Larry Correia (Baen)
Raymond Swanland for Archaon: Lord of Chaos by Rob Sanders (Black Library)
Paul Young for Ruin by John Gwynne (Pan Macmillan)
Voting on the shortlists will close at midnight (GMT) on Friday 19th August.
The results will be announced at a presentation ceremony taking place at 8pm on Saturday 24th September at Fantasycon in Scarborough, UK.

Voting on the longlists for the David Gemmell Awards For Fantasy is open. There are three categories and I am so pleased to see that Ruin has been nominated for the Legend Award, which is for the best fantasy novel of 2015.

David Gemmell has been a great influence upon my own writing, Legend being the first book that I stayed up all night to read. I just had to know what would happen next. So to see a book of mine on a list with David Gemmell’s name at the top, it makes me feel both privileged and also like a big kid again.

The Gemmell Awards are a readers vote, which make it all the more special.

Also, the Legend Award is the coolest prize in fantasy – a replica of Druss’ famous axe, Snaga! SNAGA!

If you’ve read Ruin and you think it deserves a vote then that would be brilliant, and much appreciated. The link is below. Only a couple of clicks…

It’s the fourth and final book in the Faithful and the Fallen series. A bittersweet experience. Exciting to finally reach scenes that I’ve been thinking about for around twelve years, but also sad in a way, saying goodbye to characters that I’ve known for such a long time. It was a marathon write, with a final battle that seemed to keep on growing, and I must confess that I had to stop writing at a certain scene as tears were blurring my vision.

It’s gone down well with my sons and my editor, which is usually a good sign. Edward cried!

It’s the biggest of the four, weighing in at 289,578 words, 991 manuscript pages. I expect my editor Julie Crisp will trim it down a little, though, and give it a good polish along the way.

I don’t have a definite publication date, but I’ve been told towards the end of 2016. I’ll be posting updates on that.